1. When to call 155?

Whenever there is a sudden threat to life, health, a serious injury, or an accident with major consequences.

In most cases, this concerns:

• disturbances of consciousness, and unconsciousness;
• cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest;
• breathing problems, suffocation;
• stroke;
• unusual pain or pressure in the chest radiating to the upper extremities, neck, back, often accompanied by other symptoms such as weakness, nausea, shortness of breath;
• serious injury, traffic accident, massive bleeding, various kinds of falls, drowning;
• poisoning by drugs or chemicals;
• seizures;
• burns, frost bites, overheating and hypothermia;
• giving birth, and many other conditions.

In the event of a long-term illness without any sudden deterioration of your health, contact your general practitioner or call a medical emergency service, if necessary.

The free emergency number 155 for emergency services is available from telephones in any public network in the Slovak Republic, including mobile phones.

Always dial 155 without any prefix.

Whether you call from a mobile phone or fixed phone, always specify your exact location, including the place you are calling from.

What to tell an emergency service operator

Try to remain calm and factually answer questions.

Frequently asked questions:

• Exact location of the reported incident – this information is necessary to reach the incident site quickly and accurately.
• What exactly happened?
• Information on the extent of harm, wounding, injury, i.e. the state of consciousness, respiration, the extent of injury or bleeding; in case of traffic accidents their nature, number of persons involved, etc.
• Who is the injured? Provide the name of the injured, gender, if you do not know the injured, approximate age and identification mark, i.e. colour of clothes.
• Information on the caller to clarify if he/she is a related person or an accidental witness of the incident.

Provide the incident location:

• for home, workplace or other enclosed area:
  street name and number (both numbers are important – the so-called red and blue number), floor number and name on the doorbell nameplate, details regarding landmarks (in particular for housing estates);
• roads/streets or open spaces:
  brief and concise description of the place of the incident, landmark in the vicinity, e.g. a typical building nearby, a park, an intersection, a church, a shop, the last street in the village, a turn-off, a kilometre marker on the motorway, correct number of the motorway, etc.

Unfortunately, statistics and experience show that in an actual critical life-threatening event, i.e. in a situation where the victim’s blood circulation has suddenly stopped, there are literally only a few minutes left to save the victim’s life. Damage to the brain cells starts within 4-5 minutes and can be so extensive that even if the patient with such a long-lasting circulatory failure can be rescued, it can have lasting consequences. However, it is also known that a well-performed lay resuscitation can as much as double the time for an effective rescue operation. Taking into consideration that under normal circumstances it is rather unlikely for an emergency medical service crew to arrive at the incident location sooner than 6-8 minutes after the incident, it is exactly the few minutes that are worth fighting for, because they can mean the well-known fine line between survival and death of the injured.

2. When should you call 112?

112: uniform number of the emergency service in the EU.

112 is the European emergency number you can dial free of charge from fixed and mobile phones everywhere in the EU. It will get you straight through to the emergency services – police, ambulance, fire brigade.

National emergency numbers are still in use too, alongside 112. But 112 is the only number you can use to access the emergency services in all EU countries.

112 is also used in some countries outside the EU, such as Switzerland and South Africa.

112 is one of the emergency numbers in Slovakia.

The average time to answer a 112 call is 7 seconds.

According to the latest E-communications household and telecom single market survey, 71% of Slovaks know they can use 112 everywhere in the EU.

The European emergency number 112 is not the only emergency number in Slovakia.

The national emergency numbers are:

• 150 – fire and rescue
• 155 – emergency medical service
• 158 – police

Users with disabilities can access the emergency services by SMS to 112.

3. eCall 112-based emergency assistance from your vehicle: 112-based eCall in-vehicle system

eCall is a system used in vehicles across the EU which automatically makes a free 112 emergency call if your vehicle is involved in a serious road accident. You can also activate eCall manually by pushing a button.

How eCall works

The eCall system works in all EU countries. Wherever you are, if your vehicle is involved in a serious accident, you will be connected with the nearest emergency-response network. It doesn’t matter where you bought your vehicle or where it is registered.

When eCall is activated, it connects to the nearest emergency response centre, using both a telephone and data link. This allows you and the passengers in the vehicle to communicate with the emergency centre operator and at the same time, a minimum set of data is automatically transmitted (your exact location, the time of the accident, your vehicle’s identification number and direction of travel). This allows the emergency services to assess and manage your situation.

If the eCall system fails, you’ll get a warning indication.

Information is only transmitted from your car in the event of a serious accident.

eCall services offered by third parties

Under EU rules you have the right to use a third party service (TPS) eCall system in addition to the standard 112-based one. These additional services could, for example, include roadside assistance. You may need to pay for any additional services provided by a TPS, unlike the free 112-based emergency e-Call.

Any TPS eCall system must:

• comply with EU approved technical standards;
• ensure an automatic switch to the 112-based eCall if the TPS does not work;
• allow the owner of the vehicle to choose between the 112-based eCall and the TPS service;
• not allow any exchange of data to take place with the 112-based eCall system.

If you have additional services provided through a TPS eCall system you must give your explicit consent to enable the traceability, tracking and processing of your personal data in this context.

Compulsory for new car models

If you buy a new model of car, approved for manufacture after 31 March 2018, it must have the 112-based eCall system installed. This rule applies both to cars with fewer than 8 seats and light commercial vehicles. If you have a car which is already registered, you are not obliged to retrofit an eCall device. However, you can have it installed if your car meets the technical requirements.

eCall privacy and protection of your personal data

Your eCall system is only activated if your vehicle is involved in a serious accident. The rest of the time the system remains inactive. This means that when you are simply driving your vehicle, there is no tracking (registering your car’s position or monitoring your driving) or transmission of data.

When a call is made through your 112-based eCall system, your personal data is processed according to EU data protection rules. This means that the emergency services only receive the limited data they need to deal with the accident situation, your data is not stored for any longer than necessary, and is removed when no longer required. Read more about EU data protection and privacy rules.

4. Other helplines

Helpline for children (Linka detskej istoty) – non-stop telephone service: 116 111
Hotline for women subjected to violence – non-stop telephone service: +421 800 212 212